The project, ‘Autonomous sensors for the evaluation of groundwater in spoil dumps and tailings dams’ has reached its next phase of research, says Mining3. Mining3 and The University of Queensland in conjunction with ACARP, the Australian Coal Industry’s Research Program, are currently in the process of building prototype autonomous sensors for the constant monitoring of tailings and spoil storage facilities.

Phase 1, focused on research, concept validation and development has now come to a close. The project successfully completed a three month trial involving the testing and validation of individual autonomous sensing and transmission systems and is now moving closer to  developing a working minimum viable product. Mining3 began Phase 2 of research early 2020 in partnership with ACARP and Elexon Electronics.

The objective of this second phase of research is to continue the validation process across a number of identified systems while developing a geotechnical model from captured field trial data. This in turn can provide a base analysis for spoil dump or tailing dam stability, creating a warning system for increased or high risk scenarios.

Long term site trials are planned for the upcoming phase to increase the cache of data used for the geotechnical models which result in an improved accuracy of predictions. By conducting these tests, the data collected by these sensors can aid in the understanding of slope and tailings stability, specifically factors effecting movement and pressure. Resulting in the possibility of an improved design philosophy and management of these waste systems for the future.

As well as this, the autonomous nature of the sensors removes the need for personnel to enter into hazardous situations associated with unstable spoils or tailings dams. Instead it the data is received from a switch or control room.